Wikileaks Claims Another Scalp, Forces DNC CEO To Resign; UPDATE: More Heads Roll

Matt Vespa | August 02, 2016 1:30 PM

UPDATE: Dacey isn’t the only one leaving; Communications Director Luis Miranda and Chief Financial Officer Brad Marshall are also out at the DNC. Marshall was singled out for his particularly callous and inappropriate email about using Sanders’ religion against him in the primaries:

The departures were formally announced in a Tuesday afternoon memo from new DNC head Donna Brazile, but news of Dacey's resignation broke earlier in the day, before many people in the building had been alerted to her departure.

And other senior aides have been expecting the ax to fall on them too, and there’s a chill around the offices just off Capitol Hill as staffers wait for more resignations or firings.

Brazile also announced a plan for a transition team to prepare for the general election and for a new, permanent DNC chair.

[…]

Dacey’s own relationship with Wasserman Schultz had run into trouble long before the emails were released, with sources familiar with DNC operations telling POLITICO that the former chair had cut her out of significant decisions, leading to confusion and turmoil unrelated to the email drama.

But Dacey’s departure now raises question of how the committee's day-to-day operations will run between now and the election. Several senior Democrats have expressed doubts about who might want to take on an assignment that is heavy on the potential downside and short on the potential upside, despite the many functions the DNC would be expected to perform over the final three months of the 2016 campaign.

Wikileaks has claimed another scalp. Democratic National Committee CEO Ann Dacey has decided to step down, according to Politico. Prior to the start of the Democratic National Convention, Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) decided to resign as well. It was to take effect immediately after the convention, with long-time Democratic operative Donna Brazile stepping in as interim chairperson.

The organization released some 20,000 internal DNC emails before the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, showing, among other things, staffers discussing ways to derail the candidacy of Clinton rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). It created a lot of headaches for Democrats throughout the convention and dispelled notions that the party was completely unified behind Hillary Clinton.